James P. Snee
REPUBLIC SERVICESAbout James P. Snee
James P. Snee, age 58, has served on Republic Services’ Board since July 2018 and is currently an independent director. He is Chairman, President and CEO of Hormel Foods Corporation, bringing deep executive, operations, marketing, and sustainability experience; at Republic, he chairs the Finance Committee and serves on the Nominating & Corporate Governance and Talent & Compensation Committees . The Board determined Mr. Snee is independent under NYSE standards, and all directors met the ≥75% meeting attendance threshold in 2024 across Board and committee meetings (five Board meetings held) .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hormel Foods Corporation | Chairman, President & CEO; prior senior roles incl. President & COO; Group VP & President, Hormel Foods International; VP & SVP, Hormel Foods International; VP, Affiliated Business Units | 1989 – Present | Led global portfolio expansion; modernization of technology and e-commerce; extensive operations/logistics expertise and sustainability awareness |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hormel Foods Corporation (public) | Director; Chairman of the Board | 2015 – Present | Active public company executive; meets Republic’s policy limiting active executives to ≤2 public boards including Republic |
| Consumer Brands Association | Board & Executive Committee Member | Not disclosed | Industry advocacy and standards |
| North American Meat Institute | Executive Board Member | Not disclosed | Sector leadership and food safety standards |
| The Hormel Foundation | Board Member | Not disclosed | Philanthropic oversight |
Board Governance
- Committee memberships and chair roles:
- Finance Committee (Chair): reviews capital allocation, financing, dividends, capital budget, repurchases, M&A impact, insurable risk; five meetings in 2024 .
- Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee: director nominations, governance practices, Board/committee evaluations, non-employee director compensation recommendations, oversight of executive succession planning; four meetings in 2024 .
- Talent & Compensation Committee: executive pay philosophy and programs (including sustainability modifier), CEO evaluation/compensation, talent strategy oversight, clawback policy, compensation risk assessment; five meetings in 2024 .
- Independence: Board determined 11 of 12 nominees are independent; Snee is independent .
- Attendance and engagement: Board held five meetings in 2024; all directors attended ≥75% of Board and applicable committee meetings; non-employee directors met in regular executive sessions .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | 2024 Amount | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer | $100,000 | Standard non-employee director cash retainer |
| Committee chair fee | $20,000 | Finance Committee Chair retainer (Audit Chair retainer is $25,000; other chairs $20,000) |
| Total cash fees (Snee) | $120,000 | As reported for 2024 |
| Equity grant – RSUs | $230,091 | Annual RSU grant, fully vested at grant; settled earlier of termination or 3 years unless deferred |
| RSUs granted (shares) | 1,395 | Granted Jan 2, 2024; grant-date fair value $164.94 per share |
Republic does not pay meeting fees; reimburses reasonable out-of-pocket costs and travel .
Performance Compensation
Directors do not receive performance-based cash bonuses or PSUs; equity is granted as fully vested RSUs with defined settlement terms. No director options were outstanding as of March 24, 2025 .
| Director Performance Metrics | Status |
|---|---|
| Cash bonus targets (EPS/FCF/ESG) | Not applicable to directors |
| PSUs tied to ROIC/CFVC/rTSR | Not applicable to directors |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Topic | Detail |
|---|---|
| Other public boards policy | Independent directors ≤4 public boards; active public company executives ≤2 public boards (including Republic); Board may approve exceptions. Snee’s service on Hormel and Republic complies . |
| Compensation committee interlocks | No interlocks involving Republic’s NEOs and other entities in 2024; T&C members (incl. Snee) were not Republic officers . |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Executive leadership: Fortune 500 CEO; strategy, capital allocation, investor perspective .
- Operations/logistics: experience managing large-scale, global operations across ~80+ countries .
- Marketing/brand: customer-facing brand development, loyalty, and awareness .
- Technology/cyber: led modernization of technology and e-commerce at Hormel .
- Sustainability and talent: awareness of sustainability factors, talent attraction/retention .
Equity Ownership
| Metric | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Common shares beneficially owned | 12,081 | As of March 24, 2025; <1% of outstanding shares |
| RSUs outstanding | 4,409 | Includes vested and unvested; RSUs receive dividend equivalents |
| Stock options outstanding | 0 | None outstanding for directors |
| Ownership guidelines | $750,000 value within 5 years | All independent directors ≥5 years meet guidelines; Snee meets |
| Hedging/pledging | Prohibited | Insider Trading Policy prohibits hedging, short sales, and pledging |
Insider Trades (Form 4)
| Date (Trade) | Transaction | Shares | Price | Post-Trade Beneficial Shares | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-01-31 | Settlement of RSUs (incl. dividend equivalents) into common stock | 1,775 | $0 | 12,081 |
Additional Form 4 filings for 2025 are listed (e.g., 04/17/2025, 07/16/2025, 10/15/2025), but transaction specifics are not disclosed here; see filings index for links .
Governance Assessment
- Strengths
- Finance Committee chair overseeing capital allocation, dividends, repurchases, and M&A impact; active and engaged committees with defined charters and regular executive sessions .
- Clear independence, strong attendance, and compliance with director stock ownership guidelines; RSU-based pay aligns incentives with shareholders .
- Robust governance practices: clawback policy exceeding SEC/NYSE requirements; anti-hedging/anti-pledging; proxy access; majority vote; independent Chairman; independent committees .
- No related-party transactions requiring Item 404 disclosure since Jan 1, 2024 .
- Watch items
- Time commitments: Active CEO at Hormel; Republic’s policy mitigates overboarding risk (≤2 public boards for active executives), which Snee meets .
- Committee influence: As T&C member at Republic while CEO elsewhere, maintain vigilance on consultant independence and peer benchmarking practices; Committee retains independent consultant (Pearl Meyer) and conducts annual compensation risk assessments .
Overall, Snee’s profile reflects a seasoned operator and capital allocator with aligned incentives and strong independence controls, tempered by typical “active CEO” time-commitment considerations that are explicitly addressed by Republic’s board policies .